New Business Development (NBD) Manager

ROLE PURPOSE:

he New Business Development (NBD) Manager works under the leadership of the Director of Resource Mobilisation (RM) and New Business Development (NBD) to develop technically solid and high-quality proposals and concept notes that meet donors’ and SC Members’ funding priorities, compliance requirements and contribute to fund the CO Country Strategic Plan (CSP).

The NBD Manager also holds a paramount role in supporting the Director of RM and NBD designing and implementing the CO’s funding strategy in Ukraine to achieve the strategic funding ambition.

The NBD Manager’s primary accountability is in proposal writing. As such, the NBD Manager is responsible for developing winning proposals through strategic messaging, ensuring compelling articulation of responses to children’s and families’s needs, and showing value to donors and Members through innovative deliverables, and strong project management. In its capacity as proposal writer, the NBD Manager role crafts proposals, concept notes and bid responses that effectively convey SC Ukraine’s strengths and qualifications to potential donors in providing assistance to children and families. The NBD Manager manages the entire proposal process from start to submission, hence must ensure that proposals are accurate, compliant, and competitive by working collaboratively with thematic technical advisors, field-based heads of programmes in all SC Ukraine operational area, Finance and Awards teams, as well as with SC Members and partners.

In the competitive and shrinking funding environment in Ukraine, amidst significant children’s and families’s needs, a successful NBD Manager possess excellent writing and editing skills, as well as the ability to clearly and concisely communicate complex ideas. Furthermore, the NBD Manager must have strong project management skills and be capable of managing multiple proposals at the same time while meeting strict deadlines. It is important for the NBD Manager to know industry standards, best practices, and how to tailor proposals to specific donors’ requirements.

The NBD Manager works independently and is very organized, but steers collaboration to improve the end result. Collaboration is indeed a core value and foundational competency of the NBD Manager who must facilitate a high level of cooperation and effective two-way communication between multiple stakeholders involved in the proposal development process.

Within SC Ukraine matrix approach the NBD Manager works with: Senior Management Team, Deputy Country Director – Operations, Deputy Country Director – Programme Development and Quality (PDQ), Deputy PDQ Director, Finance Team, ACCM Team, Awards Team, Director of Recovery and Resilience, Area Directors and Heads of Programme.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Proposal design, writing and submission

• Implement and review the NBD workflow tool to coordinate inputs from all involved staff (thematic technical advisors, field-based heads of programmes, Finance team, Awards team, SC Member staff and partners).
• Read and analyse call for proposals, solicitations, announcements etc, published by donors and funders to review them against SC Ukraine CSP.
• Lead Go/No Go processes for newly identified funding opportunities.
• Lead kick-off meetings to determine project scope.
• Create a proposal development schedule and deadlines for each new opportunity, and assign responsibility to involved staff while driving continuous communication with all.
• Coordinate inputs from thematic technical advisors, heads of programmes and partners to draft narrative sections in compliance with donors’ formats and requirements.
• Ensure that the proposal log-frame is developed in coordination with TAs and the respective MEAL team members.
• Ensure that proposal budgets are developed with all required inputs, in coordination with the Finance team.
• Coordinate with SC Members to ensure their involvement in the project design and writing process.
• Identify and remove barriers to timely progress, escalating issues as needed.
• Conduct research to complete background and contextual information that frame the context of the designed proposal.
• Coordinate the incorporation of feedback and revisions from all staff (SC Ukraine, partners and SC Members) involved in the proposal development process.
• Ensure that SC standard tools and processes required for proposal submission are completed timely and effectively.
• Edit documents for accuracy and clarity.
• Accountable for a final proposal review prior to submission to ensure all sections are complete, narrative and budget and log-frame align, and that SC’s internal and donor’s compliance requirements are met.
• Establish effective work-relations with the Awards team for proposal submissions and transfer of responsibility post-approval.
• Steer lessons learned processes in NBD and Proposal Development.

Funding strategy and donor engagement

• Contribute to the development and implementation of a highly effective CO Funding Strategy and Donor Engagement Plan that ensure a sustainable pipeline and portfolio growth covering humanitarian, transition/nexus, recovery and long-term/development programmes in alignment with the CO CSP.
• Support strategic planning and operational processes and tools that achieve a high-quality and sustainable funding portfolio.
• Collect donor, implementing partners and competitors intelligence and information.
• Understand and effectively communicate the country’s pipeline and priority funding gaps (such as thematic/programme gaps, co-financing gaps, and operational sustainability gaps).
• Drive and maintain good relationships with SC Members for funding opportunities.
• Replace the Director of RM and NBD in representing SC Ukraine with institutional, corporate, foundation and other donors, as needed.
• Support the creation of strong relationships and funding partnerships with relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure best practices and systems are in place for planning and undertaking stakeholders engagement.

Staff management

• Line-manage the NBD Coordinator(s).
• Ensure coaching to facilitate the NBD Coordinator(s)’s professional development and contributing to their well-being.
• Promote accountability and high performance, encourage a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and free up our staff to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for SC Members and donors.

Cross-cutting tasks

• Take responsibility for own professional learning and development.
• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to safeguarding (child safeguarding and PSEA), code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures, in order to advance SCI’s global priorities, such as (but not limited to) gender equality, disability inclusion, safe programming and safeguarding, child participation.
• Work collaboratively to achieve shared goals and thrive on diversity of people and perspectives; know when to lead and when to follow and how to ensure effective cross-boundary working.
• Actively contribute to strengthening team spirit and cooperation within the PDQ Department Team.

DISCLAIMER: The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties commensurate with their skills and experience

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• 5+ years demonstrated experience identifying and securing funding from government donors, multilateral agencies, corporate donors and/or foundations.
• Education to MSc/MA/MEng level in a relevant subject or equivalent field experience.
• Significant and proven project/programme design competence, with hands-on ability to draft proposals from the scratch with minimum technical inputs.
• Proven experience of leading the submission of successful narrative proposals and budgets to major donors, including ECHO, FCDO, BHA, USAID etc.
• Sound knowledge of the requirements of major institutional donors including key strategies, ways of working, eligibility issues, compliance management, and reporting.
• Experience of engaging with donors at country strategy levels.
• Strong communication (written and spoken), and interpersonal skills in English.
• Must have excellent project and time management skills with keen attention to detail while being highly organized.
• Excellent writing and proof-reading skills.
• Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner.
• Highly developed networking skills and ability to form productive working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a demanding workload comprised of diverse and challenging tasks and responsibilities.
• Experience of and well-developed skills in staff management and supervision with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, culturally aware and able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure.
• Computer literate (i.e., WORD, advanced Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer, financial systems).
• A high degree of flexibility and adaptability in order to respond to changing needs and to sustain difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances. Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours in the event of major requirements, including travelling at short notice and for extended periods of time.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Ability to organize a workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities.
• Commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles of Save the Children, and humanitarian standards such as the Sphere Charter and the Code of Conduct. In particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support.

Desirable

• Subject matter expertise in Save the Children’s Donor Partnerships, Award Management and/or NBD/fundraising processes, protocols and best practices.
• Experience in securing funds from corporate donors, and/or foundations.
• Experience working for an INGO or other humanitarian or development organisation in Ukraine.
• Experience of Project Management, M&E Management.
• Knowledge of Ukrainian language